The present invention disclosed herein relates to a field emission device, and more particularly, to a field emission device having a field emitter including a photoelectric material and a method of manufacturing the same.
Field emission devices have a structure in which electrons are emitted by applying an electric field to a field emitter in a vacuum state and the emitted electrons are accelerated toward a positive electrode. Field emission devices use light or X-rays generated during collision of electrons.
Performance of a field emission device greatly depends on a field emitter capable of emitting electrons. Representative examples of devices using a high-performance field emitter may include cold-cathode X-ray tubes, field emission lamps, field emission displays, traveling wave tubes, terahertz generators, and the like. Among them, cold-cathode X-ray tubes, traveling wave tubes, and terahertz generators require high current or high current density.
In the case of devices described above, since high current density is required and the number of electrons emitted from each field emitter has to increase to obtain the high current density, Joule heating may occur in the field emitter. When Joule heating occurs, the field emitter is deteriorated and thus incapable of acting as a field emitter. Accordingly, it is difficult to expect a desirable service life or stability necessary for field emission devices.